1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a cane with a pepper spray dispenser, and in particular it relates to a cane that has an internal container of pepper spray that releases when a user manually depresses a nearby trigger.
2. Description of the Related Art
Crime against senior citizens and disabled persons is an unfortunate reality that confronts people in virtually every major city in the United States on a daily basis. Criminals, realizing that the elderly are generally easier targets because of their diminished capacity to defend themselves, often mischievously focus on this segment of our society. Since American seniors are living longer and healthier than at any time in history, their numbers as a percentage of the overall population will likely continue to increase. Hence, there will be more seniors vulnerable to criminal activity in the near and distant future. In order to prevent crime of this nature, law enforcement agencies provide numerous suggestions. Some of these are: if women must carry purses, hold them close to their bodies and do not dangle them freely; place your wallet in an inside jacket pocket or a front pants pocket instead of a back pants pocket; when taking a trip, travel with at least one other person and inform someone of your destination and anticipated return time; avoid dark and deserted routes even if they are shorter than others; carry loose change for emergency telephone and transportation use; and if possible, buy and carry a cellular telephone for extra protection. Furthermore, many elderly and disabled people take additional precautions such as carrying various self-defense devices.
However, significant drawbacks are associated with the use of many of these devices. For example, tasers are very expensive and not widely available to the general public. Stun guns are a generally ineffective deterrent. Pepper spray, on the other hand, is inexpensive and highly reliable. When deployed properly, pepper spray can transform even the largest of attackers into blind and stumbling criminal wannabes. Nevertheless, effectively accessing pepper spray is a major obstacle for senior citizens and disabled people. Often, these people walk with the assistance of a cane and only have one hand available to perform other tasks. Therefore, they must place the container of pepper spray in a separate area. For men, this location is most likely a coat pocket or a pants pocket, while for women it might be a purse. In either situation, the pepper spray cannot be immediately utilized and consequently is useless. Hence, there is a need for a cane with an internal container of pepper spray that releases upon demand.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,742 to Phillips (“Phillips”) teaches a lighted walking cane that illuminates the path of a user in the dark and indicates the position of the user in relation to others. However, the cane of Phillips does not empower its user to fend off criminals and prevent attacks.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,065,904 to McCaffrey et al. (“McCaffrey”) discloses a hand-held personal protection device that has a handle, a shaft and a canister section which is adapted to receive a gas-charged canister containing a noxious compound or spray. However, the device of McCaffrey is designed to protect against animal attacks and consequently has very limited application.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,901,723 to Ames (“Ames”) teaches a cane that has a miniature pepper spray container and a trigger mechanism contained therein. However, pepper spray releases from a nozzle in the rubber tip of the cane of Ames and therefore cannot be deployed immediately.
While these disclosures may be suitable for the particular purposes employed, or for general use, they would not be as suitable for the purposes of the present invention as disclosed hereafter.